Friday, 8 January 2010

Read here for more AND HEREUPDATE:Datuk Zaid Ibrahim today condemned Umno and urged the Government to take full responsibility for the church attacks.

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said in a press statement:

“It (the UMNO-led Govt) has to take full responsibility for the worsening of relations between people of different faiths in this country in its handling of the use of the word Allah.

The irresponsible conduct of fanning the emotions by Umno leaders has brought about this dangerous situation. What we see today confirms that this country is being governed not by engagement consultation, sophistication or persuasion but by brute and mob force. ” Read here for more

A third church, in Section 17, Petaling Jaya, was also attacked last night, causing some damage to the outer building of the Life Chapel. Read here for moreMalaysiakini reported that at least FOUR other churches are also believed to have been attacked in the last 12 hours in the Klang Valley, including the Assumption Church in Petaling Jaya.

Roman Catholic church officials said some homemade explosives were lobbed into the Church of the Assumption in Jalan Templar at about 4am.

“It did not explode,” said Father Lawrence Andrew, the editor of Catholic paper Herald.

Lawrence was himself informed of the incident through a text message sent out by Assumption parish priest Father Phillips Muthu.

This is the second such reported attack on a church in the last 12 hours.

A Protestant church, Metro Tabernacle in leafy Desa Melawati, was torched at around midnight.

Metro Tabernacle in Desa Melawati

The fire took out the church's administrative office, which is housed on the ground floor of its three-storey premises.

Eyewitnesses recounted seeing several people on motorcycles stopping in front of the church and smashing the glass windows to pour flammable liquid and igniting the blaze.

Church officials have reported the attack to the police.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Mohamad Sabtu Osman said it was too early to link the attack on the church to Muslim protests over a High Court ruling allowing the weekly Herald to publish the word “Allah” to refer to God in the Christian context. “'We are still investigating,”' he is reported to have said.

Mohamad Sabtu also warned Muslims not to take part in planned protests at several mosques in the Klang Valley after Friday prayers.

The Herald, which is printed in four languages, has been using the word 'Allah' as a translation for 'God' in its Malay-language section, but the government argued 'Allah' should be used only by Muslims.

More than half of Malaysia's Catholics are from indigenous groups, most of whom live in Sabah and Sarawak and who mainly speak Bahasa Malaysia.

Related Article:

From Dr. Rafick Khan

As a Muslim, I would like to urge my Muslims and non Muslims friends to make a small donation to this church.

Let us help them repair the damages.

I will start the ball rolling by donating RM10 today.

For those who want to donate and have the trust in me, you can bank in some money into my bank account at Maybank A/C No: 5144-9580-7930 and I will present it to the church committee.

I believe that there is a greater political agenda behind all this events.

I find it as a government, the statements by the PM and the Home Minister is simply irresponsible.

Instead of extinguishing this fire they are pouring more fuel on it. I believe it is high time that we as Malaysian demand a retraction from them.

As a member of an adjacent community to the church, I would like express my condolences and apologize to the Christians in my area for what has happened.

Please forgive this “men on motorcycle” as they have NO religion and have yet to receive any guidance from Allah.

4 comments:

This is not about Religion or Peace. Its about Racist UMNO grab of power in Selangor and the richest state. The corruption money $$$$$ from development is just too staggering and the temptation out weights the Colateral damage. After taking power UMNO racist can do PR, help build for 10 million ringgit while the Rape the state in the tune of Billions. Hiring these Scums to do their dirty work is like $20,000 for the team food provided.

Malaysia can do one thing all over Malaysia is to Just burn down all UMNO Branches, RTM, NSTP, Nanyang, Star, Utusan and all their UMNO printing Press. To make it simple just burn down all UMNO branches……the source of ALL Planning and deployment centre for Evil…UMNO Branches!!